warriorz_fanfictionfandomcom-20200214-history
Leafbird and Hawkshine
'ON HOLD: ' This fanfic has been temporarily dropped by the author(s), so do not expect any further edits any time soon. Thank you. Intro! Hello! It's Pinto... again. But it's not just me! It's Kitty too! We're both making a new story about RiverClan and us. I being Leafbird (Leafstar) and Kitty being Hawkshine (who later, but not in this story becomes Hawkstar). Allegiances 'LEADER: '''Sedgestar - black tabby she-cat with pale green eyes '''DEPUTY: '''Quailpelt - gray-and-white she-cat with marbled stripes and orange eyes ''Apprentice, Lightningpaw 'MEDICINE CAT: '''Maplewhisker - dark ginger tabby she-cat with a white paw and muzzle, black forehead and ears and light amber eyes '''WARRIORS: '(toms, and she-cats without kits) Rushbelly - light brown tom with snow-white stomach and blue eyes Apprentice, Amberpaw Russetscar - dark ginger tabby tom with dark amber eyes and a pelt criscrossed with scars (mate to Dapplelight, father to Hawkkit and Leafkit) Waterbubble - silver she-cat with sparkling blue eyes (sister to Cindernight) Snowheart - pure white she-cat with gray ears and green eyes Cindernight - silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a black tail (sister to Waterbubble) Apprentice, Splashpaw Ebonypool - slender black-and-white she-cat with green-yellow eyes (sister to Sedgestar) Sunscales - golden tabby tom with bold, jagged stripes and amber eyes (brother to Shiningeyes) Apprentice, Flarepaw Vixenstream - pinkish-ginger tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes (sister to Russetscar and Maplewhisker) Apprentice, Leopardpaw Hazelsong - brown tabby-and-gray-and-white she-cat with dark blue eyes Shiningeyes - golden tabby she-cat with dark stripes and shining yellow eyes (sister to Sunscales) Appletail - red tabby she-cat with a black mask and amber eyes (twin sister to Peartail) Peartail - red tabby tom with a black mask and amber eyes (twin brother to Appletail) Apprentice, Heatherpaw Silverjaw - sleek silver tom with long, protruding canine teeth and yellow eyes (mate to Frostpelt, father of Magpiekit, Hailkit and Saltykit) 'APPRENTICES: '(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors) Leopardpaw - mottled ginger tom with blue eyes Amberpaw - pale ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes Heatherpaw - gray she-cat with yellow eyes (half WindClan, adopted into RiverClan at 2 moons) Splashpaw - long-legged silver tom with blue eyes Flarepaw - bright ginger she-cat with barely visible stripes, fluffy yellow tail, neck fur and tuft on forehead Lightningpaw - black tabby tom with thin, jagged white stripes and piercing yellow eyes 'QUEENS: '(she-cats expecting or nursing kits) Vinetail - black she-cat with amber eyes; pregnant with Sunscales' kits Dapplelight - tortoiseshell she-cat with white muzzle, chest, ventral areas and green eyes (mother of Russetscar's kits Leafkit (tortoiseshell she-kit with white muzzle, chest, ventral areas and green eyes) and Hawkkit (dark brown tabby she-kit with white chest and paws, chocolate-amber eyes and broad shoulders)) Frostpelt - pure white she-cat with one blue eye, one green eye (mother of Silverjaw's kits Magpiekit (sleek black-and-white smudged tomkit with amber eyes), Hailkit (gray-and-white patched she-kit with blue eyes) and Saltykit (gray tomkit with white ear tips and tail-tip and green eyes)) 'ELDERS: '(former warriors and queens, now retired) Sandyclaw - ragged ginger-and-white she-cat with ice blue eyes, one ripped out Icefur - pure white tom with blue eyes and a shredded tail Cats outside of Clans: Double - white she-cat with one blue eye and one green eye Glossary Here is a list of cat terms used in this fanfic (along with the normal warriors terms used in the books, especially Crookedstar's Promise since the main characters are RiverClan). All were made up by 1 of the 2 co-writers of this story: me, Kittycat79! (number) pawstep(s) A counting of seconds. Sixty pawsteps is a minute, and so on. Fox/Foxing/Foxin' The Clan version of the F word. Used regularly by Hawkshine in her apprenticehood and onward. Frog dung and fish guts! An actual curse word phrase, used by Crookedkit in his mind when he's caught by the magpie. Is used sometimes in this fanfic. Frog/vole dung The RiverClan versions of fox dung and mouse dung, though those two are used as well. 'Cer Short for the word ceremony, used by Dapplelight when talking about her daughters' apprentice ceremony. Chapter 1 Hawkkit winced as a sharp reed poked her shoulder, and she stretched open her eyes for the first time. Light filled her vision and she blinked it off, trying to see a large, minorly shifting shape in front of her. The kit sniffed the air and recognized who the big lump was instantly. It was her mother, Dapplelight! Dapplelight had beautiful long, downy, smooth calico fur and white paws. Her eyes were closed with sleep so Hawkkit didn't know what colour they were. The little cat instead twisted her head to look at her littermate, Leafkit, snoring away next to her. Leafkit had a pelt almost identical to Dapplelight's, except less sleek and glossy and appeared drier and poofy. She must've gotten that from Mum. Then Hawkkit realized she must have a fur colouring, too. I wonder if I look like Leafkit and Dapplelight, ''she thought, though she wasn't too keen on the idea. That long fur must get tangled up a lot and it would be a bother to groom. Eagerly the she-kitten turned her head to gaze at her own coat. It was brown, with darker stripes. She checked her chest and paws and saw that they were white as snow like her mother's. ''Maybe our father's brown tabby, ''she realized. ''He must be such a great warrior. I'm so glad I look like him! ''Hawkkit got up on unsteady, short legs and arched her back in a stretch, sending a cold but satisfying shiver down her tiny spine. Then she prodded her sister with a paw. "Wake up! Wake up!" she whispered, and Leafkit opened her eyes. "Wow!" she squeaked, looking around. "The nursery's giant!" Leafkit went through the process of studying Hawkkit's, Dapplelight's and her own coats, then shook herself, sending scraps of bedding flying in all directions. Hawkkit did the same, then hopped around to stare in a new direction. The movement woke Dapplelight, whose eyes flickered open. They were bluish-yellow, a pretty colour. Will my eyes turn out like hers? Hawkkit wondered. "Kits!" Dapplelight's soft meow brought her daughter back to the present. "You've both opened your eyes! I'm so excited! Are you going out to see the camp?" she inquired. Leafkit answered before her sister could draw a breath to. "Yep!" she mewed cheerfully. "Well," their mother replied, "You'll need a good wash then. A bit of a stretch and shake won't clean your pelts. Who wants to go first?" "Me!" Leafkit butted in again, and scrambled up to her mother, who held her gently but firmly with a forepaw and began to stroke down Leafkit's fluffy fur with her long, rough pink tongue. Leafkit fidgeted and scrabbled madly at the packed earth floor of the nursery. "Seepf shill!" Dapplelight meowed in a muffled voice between licks. She soon finished and shoved her daughter softly away. "Hawkkit, it's your turn." Fear gnawing at her belly, the brown mackerel tabby kit stepped nervously forward and sat down, back to Dapplelight. She seemed to naturally sit still, liking the feeling of another cat cleaning her. "Well you were easier than your sister!" her mother exclaimed when she'd completed the task. "Now run along and play, you two. Leave me in peace." Her tone was playful, not angry, as she lay back down in the mossy nest, turning her head away. Her breathing soon slowed, showing she was asleep. "C'mon!" the tortoiseshell kitten squealed to Hawkkit, and the brown one turned to face her. "How do we get out of here?" she asked. "I don't see an entrance." "Hey!" A voice sounded from somewhere over a mound of leaves, grass, reeds, rushes, feathers, moss and fur, and a black-and-white smudged head popped out. "The entrance is over there," the stranger kit mewed, flicking his sleek tail toward a small gap in the wall. "I'm Magpiekit, by the way," he added, escorting the pair of she-kits to the nursery den entrance. "I'm a moon and a half old now. Or maybe two moons. I can never seem to get it right!" Hawkkit liked this cat. Her paws scuffled shyly. Then Leafkit's voice sounded. "Well, size before beauty," she teased, stepping behind Hawkkit, who curled her lip in annoyance. "Beauty before size," Magpiekit corrected, giving Hawkkit a nudge of encouragement. She gave him a grateful glance before tumbling out of the den. She heard Leafkit snort before following. Hawkkit expected the ground of the outside camp to be dry and smooth and sandy at the same level of the nursery's, but it was lower and more dirt than sand and sheepswool, with uneven bumps in some places. The edges of the huge, vast clearing were thick with trees and stunted bushes. The camp was ringed with dens, mostly made out of twigs and plant debris except for one at the head of the clearing, which was a boulder balanced on a couple of others. Sparkling lichen draped the entrance, with patches of black beyond it. Cats of all shapes, sizes and colours milled around the camp; some carried prey whilst others sat and shared food and groomed each other, chatting about things that were meaningless to Hawkkit. Across the sandy clearing a pinkish-ginger tabby wrestled with a much smaller mottled tom. ''Mentor and apprentice? ''Hawkkit silently guessed. "Hey, Hawkkit! There's a big warrior!" Leafkit's excited squeak snapped Hawkkit from her thoughts, and the brown tabby kit turned to see a blurry reddish shape. She paused, waiting for her vision to clear, and recognized the shape as a cat. To her, all the cats in the camp looked big, but this ruddy-pelted tabby cat's coat was split in many places by scars, and his muzzle was slightly narrowed, like Dapplelight's description of a fox that she had once explained to Magpiekit, before the tortoiseshell's own kits had opened their eyes. Once the cat had made eye contact with the kittens, he excused himself from his meal of a fish he was sharing with a silver tabby she-cat. She curled her tail over her paws as she nodded to the tom, and Hawkkit noticed the warrior's tail was black as night. "Hello!" the tomcat meowed to the pair. "Are you Dapplelight's kits?" "Y-yes," Hawkkit stuttered. Being in the presence of such a huge and tough-looking cat was a bit overwhelming. Then she thought of something. ''So he has a ginger pelt? Please don't be our father! I want our father to be brown tabby like me, not ginger. "Well, I'm your father then! Russetscar!" he exclaimed, tail flicking happily. Leafkit beamed, but her sister felt a cold stone drop to the pit of her belly. She needed some questions answered. A heartbeat later, Hawkkit pricked her ears at the sound of pawsteps, and the tabby she-cat from before padded up to the group. "Hello. Are you Russetscar's kits? I'm Cindernight, a good friend of your father's. Pleased to meet you." "Thanks," Hawkkit replied in unison with Leafkit. Suddenly, a loud call sounded from the heap of boulders at the head of the camp, and the kittens jumped while the warriors looked down on them, amusement sparking in their eyes. "With experience, you become used to being ordered around at a moment's notice," Russetscar mewed, then turned around. Hawkkit saw a muscular black tabby she-cat with a long tail and the sleekest, shiniest pelt she'd seen yet standing in the shade of the highest-up stone. Her pale green eyes shone in the sunlight, and she held her head high, chin up, tail wrapped neatly over her paws. Her back was straight and confident as she spoke. "I need a group of cats to track down Amberpaw. She disappeared while on Quailpelt's border patrol." Despite her confused and angry state, Hawkkit winced. What had happened to that cat? A black she-cat with white patches emerged from a crowd of chatting warriors. "I'll lead the patrol, Sedgestar," she offered. In a flash the brown she-kit remembered the name - Sedgestar was leader of RiverClan, and had a sister called Ebonysomething. Could this be Ebony-whatever? "Thank you, Ebonypool," Sedgestar meowed. Ebonypool. Okay. ''"Take Rushbelly, Russetscar, Lightningpaw and Appletail with you. Track Quailpelt's patrol, question them then start folllowing Amberpaw's trail. She may be in a lot of danger." Ebonypool dipped her head to her older sibling, then whirled around and signaled to a white-bellied brown tom, a younger white-striped black tom and a black-faced ginger tabby she-cat. Russetscar gave each of his daughters a quick lick between the ears and dashed off to the search party, which swiftly disappeared from sight in a single, smooth movement. ''Wow. So many names and different-looking cats. How will I ever remember them all? ---- Hawkkit blinked open her eyes, which were blurred from sleep. All around her, the inside of the nursery was plunged into warm pitch-darkness, with thin shafts of moonlight trickling in through gaps in tightly-woven reeds and thorns. The young kitten rolled over, stretching a little and yawning, and saw Magpiekit dozing a mouse-length away. What's he doing here, in my nest? ''Hawkkit yawned again. ''Oh well. ''She turned her head slightly to see Leafkit fast asleep in the crook of Dapplelight's fluffy stomach. Well, if her sister and mother wouldn't offer anything to her... Hawkkit wriggled through the moss, to Magpiekit, and pressed against his thick black-and-white coat, relaxing. The tomkit's fur was so warm and soft, Hawkkit closed her eyes and fell back into deep sleep almost instantly. ---- Warm sunshine on her pelt woke Hawkkit. She blinked fuzziness from her eyes, and saw that the reed den was dimly lit by early morning light. The brown tabby she-kit was about to stretch when she suddenly smelled a new scent, and she turned to see Magpiekit washing his front paws at the edge of the nest. His black-and-white fur was already groomed into order. It seemed to sparkle in Hawkkit's eyes. "Hi," she squeaked, then yawned as she clambered to her small paws and struggled to lick down the tangled, sleep-ruffled fur on her shoulders and chest. "Good morning," the other young cat replied. "Need help? Y'know...with your pelt?" Hawkkit looked at him awkwardly. ''I guess so...he's nice to offer that. ''"Yep, thanks," she mewed. Magpiekit got up and padded over. He sat down and began to lick the fur between the littler kit's ears. She relaxed almost instantly as his warm, rough tongue continued down the back of her neck, and for a moment the skin under her mackerel tabby fur grew hot and red with embarrassment. ''Is it weird that he's helping me to groom myself? ''She shook her head - Magpiekit was pulling a catkin from her fluffy tail now, so it was okay. Yeah, it is. It's called sharing tongues, tuna-brain! As Hawkkit's embarrassment faded she realized she should return the favor, and started lapping at the tomkit's chest. Much later, without warning a white paw landed behind Magpiekit, and Hawkkit gazed up into the shining odd eyes of the tomkit's mother, Frostpelt. Magpiekit sniffed the air for a heartbeat, then meowed, "Hi, mum," without turning around. "Helping Hawkkit to wash, are you, Magpiekit?" the queen asked. "That's kind of you. Now, who wants to go to the fresh-kill pile and pick out breakfast?" Two heads, a gray-and-white and a gray with white-tipped ears, shot up over the side of the nest. "We do! We do!" "Okay, Hailkit, Saltykit," Frostpelt agreed warmly. The two kittens leaped out of the grassy bedding, much larger than they had seemed at first - they were now as big as their brother Magpiekit - and trotted after their ice-coloured mother. The black-and-white smudged tom quickly finished grooming Hawkkit and mewed, "Gotta go!" With that, he dashed out of the nursery and disappeared. The she-kit looked around the nursery. Just some walls and a ceiling made out of grass, reeds, thorns, brambles, holly leaves, twigs and bullrushes, a smooth, packed earth floor and a bunch of thick nests made out of moss, feathers, grass, rush heads and molted cat fur, with dried bracken and twigs around the sides to bolster the soft beds. In the far corner, a big, fat black tabby shape rose and fell in a peaceful sleep. That was Vinetail - she was pregnant. Then there was the nest beside where Hawkkit was sitting - her family's nest, with Dapplelight and sister Leafkit dozing. Dapplelight's dark calico coat blended with the stripes of light and shade that filled the nursery, making her almost invisible - that was what she was named after. Hawkkit tried to imagine her mother as a tiny, mewling kit, with all her tortoiseshell littermates sleeping around her, and her calico mum gently licking her daughter's thick fur. Then there was Russetscar, or Russetkit, playing with a feather in his bed with his mother. That morning, a while before Vinetail went to sleep and Frostpelt woke up, the black queen had told Hawkkit and Magpiekit how she'd been best friends with Russetscar when they were kittens - he had no littermates and a ginger tabby mother with a white muzzle named Sorrelfire. She drowned in the lake when her son was an apprentice, but she was a good cat, and an excellent parent. ''So Russetscar's mother was ginger, making him ginger. Was his father a ginger tabby too? ''Hawkkit wondered. That means Dapplelight's parents, or at least one of them, had to be calico to make her calico. So what made Hawkkit brown tabby with a white muzzle, paws and ventral? None of her close relatives looked anything like her. ''I need to solve this weird mystery, ''she thought. Hawkkit looked toward the entrance to the nursery, where Frostpool and her kits had disappeared. The brown tabby wasn't old enough to eat solids yet, but she could still go into the clearing to ask her father about the mystery. ''As long as I don't wake my mother and sister up, that is. The mackerel-striped, fluffy she-kit threw a glance over her tiny shoulder. Yep, the pair of lookalike tortoiseshell-and-white cats were still fast asleep in their nest. Encouraged, Hawkkit placed one white forepaw in front of her, slowly and carefully. Partially because of her small size, it was easy not to make a sound whilst doing that, so she continued to the gap in the wall of greenery and pushed her way through, prepared for the drop down to the world outside and meeting it with much more grace and precision than her first time. Hawkkit gazed around the RiverClan camp. It seemed slightly less vast and amazing and scary than before, probably because she'd been out of the queens' den prior to the current occasion. Still, not having the feeling of Leafkit's long pelt brushing against her own, shorter one was a little unsettling. Hawkkit's stare darted around the muddy clearing. She could see the fresh-kill pile, very low on prey, probably due to the evening meal that must have been held the previous night; all the dens appeared even more shadowy and sinister than before in the early morning light, and a ton of cats padded to and fro. The kitten picked out a few randomly - there was a group of big, muscly-looking warriors sitting next to a den, for starters. One was the pinkish tabby seen wrestling with the mottled young cat, and the two others were one that was almost identical to the first, and the third was a smooth, shiny-furred silver cat with long front teeth that protruded from his mouth strangely. Hawkkit also noticed a bunch of smaller cats, chatting next to the fresh-kill pile but not taking a bite; they were the mottled tom, a bright ginger tabby, another silver feline, and a gray she-cat. A heartbeat later a golden tabby warrior approached and dropped a water vole at the younger ginger cat's paws. Hawkkit pricked her ears so she could just make out the warrior's words: "Eat up, apprentices. I trust that your mentors will take you all for a big search-party-training session after Amberpaw's found and returned, so you'll all need your strength." The apprentices, some of which looked barely older than kits, purred at the bigger cat's offer. "Thanks so much, Shiningeyes," the ginger tabby she-cat meowed. Just as she did, the sun broke from its cover of hills, and lit up her coat like a giant flame. Wow. ''"That's alright, Flarepaw. Work hard today to repay me for it, okay? I'll be overseeing your training, whatever it is. Sedgestar says she wants a senior warrior to judge all of you in preparation for your final assessments, so that is what I will do." Then Hawkkit realized something. ''So Amberpaw isn't back yet? She must be really, really lost. '' Hawkkit pricked her ears at a sudden noise coming from a gap in the spiky, muddy-looking bushes at the opposite end of the camp. The sounds were rustling, squelching and...sobbing. A sort of whiny, shaking, soft growl that announced fright and shock to the kit, so much so that she almost backed away a heartbeat before a white-and-black shape burst from the bushes. It was Ebonypool! Behind the warrior strode Hawkkit's father, Russetscar, along with the rest of Ebonypool's patrol (Rushbelly, Appletail and Lightningpaw), and a group of bedraggled cats Hawkkit didn't recognize. One was a light gray tabby she-cat, and behind her a pair of even muddier cats, whose fur was so matted, dirty, tangled and wet that it almost masked their familiar, fishy RiverClan scent, and their gender smell was completely covered. Between them padded a smaller cat, an apprentice probably. Her fur was plastered with mud and strewn with bits of twigs and leaves, but bits of golden fur stuck up in places. ''Is that Amberpaw? '' "Amberpaw!" The black shape of Sedgestar sped over. Her gaze flicked from cat to cat, assessing their condition. "I'm so glad you're all back safe. But what happened?" One of the cats flanking Amberpaw stepped away from her to answer the leader. "S-sticky q-quicksand," the cat panted. "We saaaved..." It fell onto the mud with a sickening slam as Hawkkit watched in horror. Was the RiverClan warrior dead, or just passed out? Who would look after them? Sedgestar unknowingly answered the kit's silent question by calling out, "Maplewhisker! Maplewhisker, come quick! Sunscales has just fainted!" A tabby she-cat emerged from a clump of mossy plants and sprinted gracefully over. Her legs were long and thin, fur ruffled but still gleaming and smelling of strong, unfamiliar scents. ''The medicine cat? ''She sat down beside the fallen patient and spat out a mouthful of leaves that Hawkkit had just noticed. Carefully she placed a delicate paw on Sunscales' chest and gave a tiny nod. The kitten was so interested in the procedure that she didn't register the jabbing of a paw in her side until a frustrated hiss accompanied it, snapping the tabby kit out of the trance. "Hawkkit!" She jumped and whipped around. "Yes?" It was Frostpool, with her three kits lined up next to her. "Hawkkit, it's getting cold and a cat's been injured. You don't want to see this, trust me. I've seen plenty of wounds in my time and I do not wish to share the knowledge with an innocent, impressionable young kit like you." Hawkkit hissed in annoyance. "But I wanna see..." How could she possibly say that she wanted to question her father about her own heritage? It would sound weird. ''Frostpool might even think I'm crazy or something. '' She glanced toward Magpiekit for help, but he was batting at a leaf, oblivious to the situation. Just then Leafkit bounded out of the nursery cheerfully, lashing her fluffy tail with excitement, and Hawkkit glimpsed their mother's face in the entrance before it vanished, withdrawn into the warm, milky gloom of the queens' den. Instead, the mackerel tabby kit looked to her sister for assistance. But, guess what, she was staring at the fresh-kill pile, distracted. ''It's just me and Frostpool, ''the troubled kitten realized. ''Maybe I can baby myself out of this. "But I wanna see the camp!" Hawkkit whined fakely. "Last time I came out here I got nearly no time to explore. And I want to talk to Amberpaw and see Maplewhisker heal her. Is Maplewhisker the medicine cat?" she asked without thinking. Frostpool's angry at me! Why would she answer my question? ''She probably would've hit herself in the face with a paw if she wasn't frozen with tension and fear at the white queen's reaction. "Oh, alright," Frostpool agreed, if reluctantly. "It's not snowing yet, and you should get to have time with your father now that he's back. I see your sister is out and about anyway." As she turned and flicked her tail for her kits to follow her, she cast a sentence over her shoulder, "And yes, Maplewhisker is our devoted medicine cat." Then she disappeared into the nursery after her two bouncing kittens. Magpiekit threw a glance at Hawkkit before following. Russetscar's scent engulfed Hawkkit suddenly, filling her nose and mouth, and she felt his soft, fuzzy ginger fur brush against hers. "Hello," he meowed in a friendly tone, and his tabby daughter turned around to face him, her mind no longer focused on chilled fear at Frostpool and allowing her to remember her true reason to sneak out of the nursery alone. "Er, good morning - hi," she greeted the seemingly massive warrior awkwardly. ''He's my father! I don't have to act nervous around him - not even now! ''she reminded herself sharply. To Russetscar she mewed, "Umm, can we talk somewhere private? Like, where no other cats can hear us?" she asked hesitantly. What if he said no? What if he thought she was a weird, stupid kit and disowned her, deciding to like her annoying littermate better? "What for?" he questioned, but his tone was gentle and warm, simply curious. Maybe even playful - not irked or anything. "For-for a secret. A secret game," Hawkkit explained quickly. ''Why didn't I prepare for this before? "Okay," Russetscar mewed, dark flame-striped tail tip twitching in anticipation. "Then I can bring you to meet Amberpaw afterward. She's in the medicine den now." "With Maplewhisker?" Hawkkit guessed. She wanted to seem as smart and cool as possible, to decrease the chance of hate after the interrogation. That visit seems like a long time ahead, too. "Yes," Russetscar answered, nodding his head with approval. "Now, how about we go behind Sedgestar's den for the secret game? There's a rocky dip, a gully, that should absorb sound in case anyone comes close." "Yeah, alright!" the brown tabby kit squeaked eagerly. She was so nervous about this, she wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible. I wish it was already in the past, so I would know by now how it turned out. ''Then she shook the thought away. "Lead on," she meowed, trying to sound excited. Her tiny heart was pounding in her chest extremely hard, but it wasn't because of happiness. Not fully, anyway. ---- The tomcat settled down in the damp dirt of the gully, wrapping his tail over his paws, but Hawkkit was too excited to sit still. "Now, what's this game?" he inquired after what seemed like a season-long awkward silence. "Well, it's not exactly actually a game," the kitten stuttered. "I-I need to ask you something, if you don't mind." "Of course," he agreed, surprise widening his amber eyes for a moment. "Ask away. Kits need maximum knowledge to learn." Hawkkit's belly seemed to shrink. ''Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only kit in RiverClan who'll be questioning you about this. '' "Where did I get my coat colours?" she asked finally, forcing herself to keep her voice steady. "I mean, the brown? And the white? And my stripes aren't the same pattern as yours." She waited tensely for the reply - much more tensely than she'd waited for Frostpool's earlier. An unknown emotion flashed in Russetscar's eyes, and he blinked, turning his head away. When his gaze returned to her, it was dark and defensive. Concealing long-buried secrets not meant for any other cat's ears. "Don't ask that ever again." That was all he said before scrambling out of the muddy dip the hard way, instead of using the non-steep slope. He gripped a sturdy fern frond in his teeth and hauled himself up into the bushes. ---- ''Don't ask that ever again. The words haunted Hawkkit's mind as she shared a water vole with her sister Leafkit. The dying twilight shadows danced on their pelts and drew long, thick black-and-red claws across the ground. The sky was bright orange, yellow and red, dotted with puffy clouds. It was five moons since Hawkkit had inquired about her genes, and Russetscar had darkened the encounter with his chilly words. The two she-kits were much bigger, stronger and sleeker-furred now, and Dapplelight spent most nights sleeping in the warriors' den with her friends, while her daughters dozed in the nursery together. A few days ago Vinetail gave birth to one kit, Sandykit. She was really cute, a pale ginger tabby. Magpiekit, Hailkit and Saltykit had become apprentices, Magpiepaw, Hailpaw and Saltypaw. Their proud mother Frostpool was back in the warriors' den. Amberpaw was completely healthy again. Hawkkit had met her, but not in the way Russetscar first intended - he'd gone out of camp after the horrible, secret talk. Amberpaw was a beautiful golden tabby, and very active, eager to please her mentor Rushbelly, one of the cats who had gone along to rescue her from the apparent quicksand pool she'd almost drowned in. That was why the two cats, one of which had fainted all those moons ago, had been covered in mud. Quailpelt, the deputy, had given the one that could actually walk at the time first pick from the fresh-kill pile at supper that night. Chapter 2 "I'll beat ya!" A squeak sounded from the nursery. It was coming from Leafkit, who was sitting in her mossy nest with Hawkkit. "I'd like to see you try!" the tabby kitten exclaimed and jumped on her sister, knocking the breath from her and pummelled her littermate's white stomach with tiny paws. "Hawkkit! Leafkit! Stop at once!" A fluffy calico cat stormed into the nursery. "Hawkkit, OFF!" she ordered the brown kit. "Awwww, frog dung!" the small striped cat cursed as she leapt off her littermate. "You shouldn't do that! You'll annoy Vinetail who, in case you hadn't noticed, is trying to sleep!" Their mother pointed out, flicking her plumed tail in the direction of a glossy-furred black tabby she-cat resting a little way away. "Hawkkit, I want a private word with you, please," the cat meowed and her daughter, expecting trouble, followed her mother to the corner of the nursery, where she turned to face her kitten. "Hawkkit, you know ''you're bigger and stronger than Leafkit. You're faster too because you chase leaves every time they drop from the trees. You could hurt your sister wrestling with her like that." Hawkkit turned away. "So Dapplelight, what you're saying basically means I look like a tom." "No you don't!" Dapplelight replied. "All I'm saying is that you're a better fighter than Leafkit, so you should be gentler with her and in training, ''always, ''and I mean always, keep your claws sheathed." Hawkkit nodded, then raced away back to Leafkit with Dapplelight padding behind. "Why don't you ever let us have fun?!" Leafkit hissed at her mother. "Yeah!" Hawkkit added despite her lecture. "You're allowed to have fun, as long as it's not noisy, painful, dangerous, against the warrior code or mean." Dapplelight sighed with exasperation. Her kits glared at her then turned away to curl up in their nest. ---- "WE'RE APPRENTICES TODAY! WE'RE APPRENTICES TODAY!" Leafkit's high-pitched mew sliced through Hawkkit's dream - and was she lucky! The brown tabby kit had been having a nightmare about being trapped in a badger sett full of the hideous creatures. Hawkkit opened her eyes, shifting a paw. It was a moon later, and the pair of kits were now six moons old. Dapplelight was sitting at the edge of the nursery, licking her paw and dragging it over her ear. "Yay! Morningtime!" Vinetail's only kit, Sandykit, born three weeks earlier, smothered Leafkit's face with licks, then bounded over to Hawkkit and jumped on her back, squealing as excitedly as if it were her own ceremony today. "C'mon, Hawkkit! You're lazy as a stonefish!" the tortoiseshell-and-white kit nudged her sister once Sandykit had hopped off and run back to her mother on shaky legs for a feed. "Well, at least I'm not as ugly as one, like some kit I know!" the tabby kitten retorted. "Hey!" Leafkit hissed, and leapt onto her littermate, bowling her over. But Hawkkit saw the attack coming and lay there, not moving. Leafkit loosened her grip and relaxed with the knowledge that she won, but as she did so Hawkkit pushed up with her back, showing amazing strength, knocking the breath from her calico sister and sending her flying across the den. She hit Vinetail in the shoulder and bounced off. Though the black queen didn't react, their mother stepped in. "Leafkit, be more careful! A nursing queen is ''not ''a reed bounce-bed, and the nursery ain't a training clearing!" Dapplelight then turned to her other kit. "As for you, Hawkkit, don't be so rough! You're gonna be made an apprentice this very morning and you can't wait until then to practice your moves? If you two start battling again I'm going to tell Sedgestar to make you wait another moon for your apprenticeships!" That seemed to get the message to the kits' heads, and they quieted down. After about twenty pawsteps, Dapplelight resumed talking. "Now, I can't have yous going out there for your 'cer looking like a pair of magpies decided to make their nests in your pelts. Hawkkit, come here. You're first!" "O-okay," Hawkkit mewed and padded swiftly up to her parent, then sat down and turned around while her mother groomed her. Chapter 3 "...Hawkkit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be Hawkpaw. Hazelsong, you were the apprentice of the greatest hunter in the Clan, Lucktail. You will mentor Hawkpaw." The bicolour tabby she-cat stepped forward happily. "I will make her the best warrior she can be," Hazelsong promised, then touched noses with her new apprentice, who was shivering with excitement and nerves. The Clan leader, Sedgestar, now turned to the calico sister of Hawkpaw. "Leafkit, from now on, until you get your warrior title, you will be known as Leafpaw. Snowheart, you have proved your skill given to you by Sandyclaw. You will teach Leafpaw in all appropriate arts." The gray-eared white cat padded out of the crowd. "I won't let you down," she meowed, then touched noses with Leafpaw. The entire clearing burst into cheers, "Hawkpaw! Leafpaw! Hawkpaw! Leafpaw!" The newest apprentices beamed, eyes shining. Dapplelight and their father, Russetscar, padded over. "I'm proud of you both." Russetscar mewed, with a smile playing on his lips, "Hazelsong and Snowheart are great warriors, and will surely make you the same." Dapplelight grinned at her kits, "Good luck!" she said, and licked them both on top of their heads. When they walked away, Leafpaw turned to Hawkpaw. "This is so awesome!" the calico apprentice laughed with pure joy, "We're apprentices! No more being contained in the nursery!" As she said that, their mentors glanced at eachother, smiling. Snowheart turned to the siblings, "How about we take you to your first apprentice task?" Hawkpaw's eyes shined, "Oh cool! What're we gonna do? Fight?" "Hunt?" Leafpaw asked, with big puppy-dog eyes. "You'll see!" Hazelsong laughed. She and Snowheart led their eager apprentices out of the camp. It was the first time they had been out, and they were gazing about in wonder. Once they were a little way out, Snowheart showed them to a small clearing. "Ooh, this looks like a practice clearing!" Leafpaw gasped. Snowheart glanced at Hazelsong, then padded over to a large moss-covered boulder, "Your first task, is to collect moss." Hawkpaw laughed uncertainly, "That was a joke, right?" "Nope!" Hazelsong answered her. Snowheart tittered, and twitched her white tail, beckoning for the apprentices to follow her. Leafpaw could see that her sister's tail was dragging along the ground, as if Hawkpaw thought it was a punishment. The calico shook her head at her sister. This might actually be fun! Leafpaw and Hawkpaw sat side-by-side in front of the rock. Hawkpaw's brown and gray tabby mentor unsheathed her claws. Hazelsong stood on her hind legs and positioned her paws at the top of the boulder. With a quick swipe, she brought her claws down, so fast that Leafpaw flicked her tufted ears back in surprise, and brought a clump of clean moss with her. Hazelsong shook it off her claws, then mewed to the apprentices, "Your turn." Hawkpaw reached her claws up and swung them down over the moss. She gathered a lot, but a lot of dirt stuck to it. "Oh fox!" she spat. Leafpaw cautiously padded up to the rock and did the same, except that she had only picked up barely a pawful of moss, as she had just raked the tips of the tiny leaves. She glanced at Snowheart, then Hawkpaw, then raked her claws over the boulder again. This time, she got more. Hawkpaw joined in, following her sister's example. ................................. All four cats walked back to camp, apprentices stumbling with the moss. They had tucked a clump of it under their chins, and had stuffed some in their mouths. Snowheart and Hazelsong had a bit in their jaws too. They were almost there, when two other apprentices blocked their way: Flarepaw and Lightningpaw, the littermates. They seemed to be hunting. "Hey!" Flarepaw meowed happily, "What's up?" Hazelsong mumbled through her moss, "Training. Speaking of which, where are your mentors?" Flarepaw was about to answer, when her black tabby brother interrupted, "We're a bit busy," he snarled, "so please move! We were about to catch that squirrel!" He pushed inbetween Hawkpaw and Leafpaw. He gave the latter a glare, and stomped on into the forest. Flarepaw looked a bit confused, gave the four cats apologetic looks, then followed after her brother, puffy yellow tail bouncing. Leafpaw was hurt. ''Why does he seem to hate ''me ''so much? She shook out her pelt, then went on her way to camp. Chapter 4 Leafpaw licked her sister's brown pelt, frowning about the incident with Lightningpaw. What was wrong with that cat? As she was grooming behind Hawkpaw's ears, Flarepaw tumbled in. "Hey you two!" she greeted, then caught sight of Leafpaw's face, and mewed, "What's wrong?" Hawkpaw sat up and said, "Why was Lightningpaw glaring at Leafpaw? What'd she do wrong?" The calico was glad she spoke up for her. "Uhm," the ginger cat's spiky ears folded back as she murmurred, "it's not- it's, uhm, he's just got a... It doesn't matter, he's just a bit put-off today." she suddenly ran out of the den. Hawkpaw and Leafpaw stared at eachother, confused. Hawkpaw shrugged, mumbled goodnight and curled up to sleep. Soon, her snores filled the den. Leafpaw slumped beside her, but couldn't sleep. She kept trying to make sense out of what Flarepaw said. There's something she's not telling me, but what? ''she wondered. After many hours, Leafpaw finally drifted asleep. Leafpaw awoke the moment the dawn light filtered in through the den's roof. She yawned and looked around. She was the first to wake. Hawkpaw snoozed beside her. Deciding not to wake her slumbering sister, Leafpaw carefully tiptoed out of her nest. She glanced at Lightningpaw with a frown. The white-striped tom mumbled something in his sleep and turned around, to face her. The sunlight hit his face, lighting up his features, and a gentle breeze made his soft fur ripple. Leafpaw hit herself in the face with a paw. She was being ridiculous! The calico ran outside into the fresh air. The deputy, Quailpelt was already in the clearing. She was discussing something with Sedgestar. Leafpaw decided that she wanted to be more helpful, for some reason. Maybe she just wanted to think about something different. The young apprentice trotted meekly up to Quailpelt when Sedgestar walked to the edge of the clearing, "Um, Quailpelt?" Leafpaw asked. "Yes, Leafpaw?" she answered. "Can I go on a hunting patrol, please?" Quailpelt looked slightly surprised, but pleased at the same time, "Of course! Oh, speaking of the badger..." the warriors began to file into the clearing. The gray-and-white tabby deputy stared at each individual cat, then meowed loudly, "May all warriors gather for their morning assignments!" At that moment, Flarepaw and Lightningpaw scrambled out of the apprentice den. "Alright! Sunscales, Snowheart, join me in a hunting patrol in the river. We will take our apprentices with us." Leafpaw's stomach dropped. Lightningpaw was Quailpelt's apprentice. She'd have to hunt alongside him. A chill was sent down her spine at the thought. Then she also realised, this would be the first time ever Leafpaw and Hawkpaw would be apart. Leafpaw walked alongside Flarepaw as they were headed to the river. Flarepaw was very friendly, and seemed to talk nonstop about random things. Leafpaw enjoyed her company, as the chatter taught her quite a few things, like the best way to fight badgers, and how to catch crabs without getting bitten. However, she noticed that Lightningpaw was shying away. ''Maybe it's just because we're 'girls? ''Leafpaw thought hopefully. Maybe that was it. Still, he never glared at his sister, or Hawkpaw. Pushing her confused thoughts out of her mind, the fluffy apprentice could tell they were near the river, as the ground was marshy. She and Flarepaw ran to the bank. There were minnows flitting in the shallow water. That's when Leafpaw realised, ''I don't know how to hunt! No wonder Snowheart was looking at me funny. ''She blushed and glanced at her white-furred mentor. Snowheart smiled and walked over, "So," she meowed, "you finally realised you don't have a clue how to fish." she gave a ''mrrrow ''of laughter and sat down next to Leafpaw. She crouched down so her shadow wouldn't be in the water, and waited, wagging her tail. When a large enough fish, a pike, swam past, the white she-cat lightning-fast flicked her paw into the water and hooked up a splashing fish. She threw it onto land and bit it. The pike stopped moving. "Wow!" Leafpaw jumped in the air, "Can you teach that to me?" "Of course! That's why I showed you. First, crouch next to the water and make sure your paws and claws are out. Don't let your shadow go over the water. When a fish swims past, hook it with your claws as fast as possible. Aim for where it's going, not where it is. Try it now." "Okay!" She did what Snowheart said, and waited for a fish. Finally, Leafpaw spotted a minnow come closer. ''It's smaller than a pike, but it's great for me! ''The fluffy she-cat caught the fish in both her paws, but the it was too slippery. Leafpaw fumbled a bit, but the minnow escaped. "Snake scales!" Leafpaw cursed. "That's alright, Leafpaw," Snowheart soothed, "Just about every cat fails their first time!" -------- Back at camp, Hawkpaw woke up to find her sister's nest empty and cold beside her. She yawned and stretched, sending a shiver from nose to tail-tip. The young brown tabby she-cat then gave her pelt a quick groom to get rid of clinging pieces of bedding, and padded out of the apprentices' den. Sunlight poured down into the RiverClan camp clearing, but struggled to chase away the morning chill. Hawkpaw fluffed out her fur at the mildly cool air and made her way over to a tree stump with mossy roots next to the den, where she sat down and continued her washing. ''To be continued... Gallery To see the gallery, go here! Category:Fanfiction